Move Afrika series expands to second country

Ghana has been announced as the latest destination for Move Afrika – the new annual, multi-country tour bidding to change the face of live entertainment in Africa.

Created by international advocacy organisation Global Citizen, the pan-African touring circuit debuted last month in Rwanda with a headline performance by Kendrick Lamar at the sold-out BK Arena in Kigali. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper’s creative imprint pgLang will serve as curator of Move Afrika up to 2028.

Each year, additional countries will be added to the tour schedule, which aims to expand to three countries in 2024, and five countries by 2025. Its return to Rwanda has already been confirmed, with Accra, Ghana now also coming on board as a host city this year.

“We are delighted to join Rwanda in becoming the next destination for Global Citizen’s multi-year, multi-market pan-African tour and expect continued impact in the years ahead,” says H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, president of Ghana. “Today, we celebrate this milestone for Ghana. We look forward to future announcements on this growing cohort of Move Afrika destinations.”

Further details, including event dates and lineups, will be announced in the coming months.

“We are honoured to bring Move Afrika to Ghana,” says Global Citizen’s chief vision officer Kweku Mandela. “Our partnership with the Ghanaian and Rwandan governments will showcase the best of African creative talent to the world, while generating economic investment into the local creative economy, which will have a lasting impact across the continent for years to come.”

“We visited Accra for the first time in 2022 and really connected with the people and the culture”

The events are designed to increase demand from international and regional artists to tour the region, and build local capacity, create jobs and scale the live entertainment sector within host cities.

Move Afrika is Global Citizen’s latest effort to address the world’s inequities by creating job and entrepreneurship opportunities through live events. Its previous events in Africa include: Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, which brought Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder and Chris Martin to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018 and Global Citizen Festival: Accra in 2022, which featured performances from Usher, SZA, Stormzy, Gyakie, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, TEMS and Uncle Waffles.

“We visited Accra for the first time in 2022 and really connected with the people and the culture,” says a statement by pgLang. “Accra will always be a special place for us and we are excited to work with Move Afrika and expand our efforts to Ghana.”

Liz Agbor-Tabi, VP of global policy for Global Citizen, says the organisation is pairing experts with local technical partners to develop expertise in the region.

“We’re doing a lot of work to upskill the talent on the ground,” Agbor-Tani tells Semafor. “We’re showing to the world and investors that there is talent on the continent.”

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Kendrick Lamar stars at Move Afrika: Rwanda debut

Kendrick Lamar served as the star turn at the inaugural Move Afrika event, designed as a launchpad for the first pan-African touring circuit for international artists.

Created by international advocacy organisation Global Citizen and Lamar’s creative imprint pgLang alongside the Rwanda Development Board, Move Afrika: Rwanda debuted last night (6 December) before 8,000 people at the sold-out BK Arena in Kigali.

Headlined by Lamar, the event was held in association with global production company Done and Dusted and the Rwanda Events Group. In addition to showcasing leading African artists, creators and entertainers, it employed more than 1,000 Rwandans, engaging 75% local crew and production staff, with a focus on creating opportunities for skill development and international event training. More than 4,000 free tickets were provided to young people.

“We know what it’s like to not have access, so we wanted to ensure that young people from across Rwanda had the opportunity to experience the first Move Afrika event in Kigali,” says pgLang.

The initiative is aiming to build on the collaborations to generate long-term opportunities for local entrepreneurs, and foster long-term partnerships that pave the way for more international artists to perform in Rwanda.

“We see this event as just the start of a promising journey for our industry”

Each year, additional countries will be added to the Move Afrika tour schedule, which aims to expand to five countries by 2025.

“We see this event as just the start of a promising journey for our industry,” says Rwanda Events Group CEO Christian Gakwaya. “With our talented crew and creative minds, coupled with increased international shows and further investments in equipment and skills, we can for sure take our rightful place as global leader in events.”

Show highlights and performances will form part of a broadcast special, to be released worldwide in early 2024.

Move Afrika is Global Citizen’s latest effort to address the world’s inequities by creating job and entrepreneurship opportunities through live events. The organisation’s previous events in Africa include: Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, which brought Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder and Chris Martin to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018.

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Kendrick Lamar teams on ‘pioneering’ tour series

Kendrick Lamar is teaming with international advocacy organisation Global Citizen on a “pioneering” new concert series aiming to establish a “first-of-its-kind” touring circuit throughout Africa.

The American rapper’s creative imprint pgLang will serve as the curator of Move Afrika up to 2028, with plans to expand the “long term, large scale effort” to five countries over the next two years.

Lamar will headline its debut major music event at the 10,000-cap BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda on 6 December. Tickets are priced from 50,000-85,000 Rwandan francs (€38-65).

“Our goal with Move Afrika is to inspire local youth and artists to unlock their creativity,” says a statement from pgLang. “We hope to curate an immersive experience that empowers various communities and cultures across Africa and around the world for a lifetime.”

Rwanda will host Move Afrika for the next five years in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board. Further countries will then be added to the tour schedule each year.

“Move Afrika will drive transformative investments across Africa through the pioneering of a world-class touring circuit”

Move Afrika is bidding to set “a new gold-standard for entertainment touring events”, while increasing demand from international and regional artists to tour in the region and building local capacity within host cities. It is designed to drive transformative investments within local communities, engage local artists, vendors, agencies and crews, and provide opportunities for on-the-job skill development and training.

“Africa is driving culture and creativity globally, but the continent has been left out of the global music touring circuit for too long,” says Global Citizen co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans. “By moving from one-off events to the sustained commitment of an annual tour, Move Afrika will drive transformative investments across Africa through the pioneering of a world-class touring circuit.

“Move Afrika will pave the way for many more artists to tour the continent, while generating new economic opportunities within the entertainment industry for Africa’s booming youth generation. We are incredibly excited to bring this vision to life with pgLang and Kendrick Lamar, and are grateful for our partnership with the Rwanda Development Board, who share our belief in this vision.”

Move Afrika is Global Citizen’s latest effort to address the world’s inequities by creating job and entrepreneurship opportunities through live events. The organisation’s previous events in Africa include: Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, which brought Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder and Chris Martin to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018.

In addition, Global Citizen Live: Lagos featured Davido, Femi Kuti, and Tiwa Savage at Fela Kuti’s New Afrika Shrine in 2021, while Global Citizen Festival: Accra brought Usher, SZA, Stormzy and TEMS to Black Star Square in 2022.

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